“With ‘Treme’ (which refers to a New Orleans neighborhood and is pronounced treh-MAY), (David) Simon, co-creator Eric Overmyer and their team of writers (including the late, great David Mills) have proved that television as an art form cannot only rival Dickens, it can hold its own against Wagner.

“The lemon ice, the Katrina tours, the funk of muck and sweat and no running water, the soul-sucking abyss of bureaucracy all sing a distinctly American song as trying and uplifting and undeniable as the city of New Orleans itself.”

“The effort to get New Orleans 'right,' to do justice to the city’s charm, its jazz tradition, and now its post-Katrina martyrdom, is at times so palpable it is off-putting, a self-consciousness that teeters on the edge of righteousness."

“ ‘Treme’ ” does not unfold in a conventional storytelling style. It hopscotches among many characters in a leisurely, jazzy style that echoes the music the series celebrates. Like ‘The Wire,’ ‘Treme; challenges viewers. Those who stick with ‘Treme’ will be rewarded, because it’s so wonderfully offbeat, like New Orleans itself.”

Rick Porter in www.Zap2it.com: “(Y)ou shouldn't go into ‘Treme’ expecting ‘The Wire: New Orleans.’ It's a looser story, driven more by character than plot, and despite its setting actually feels a little more upbeat than ‘The Wire.’ Through three episodes, there are enough funny, frustrating, sad and beautiful moments to make me hope ‘Treme’ sticks around for a while.”